Mechanically-operated valve apparatus



March 31, 1931; JANETTE 1,798,422

MECHANICALLY OPERATED VALVE APPARATUS Filed June 1, 1928 33%): Tfineifa Patented Mar. 31, 1931 i i v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN T. JANETTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MECHANICALLY-OPERATED VALVE APPARATUS Application filed .Tune 1, 1928. Serial No. 282,236.

This invention relates to power or motor tional view of the valve showing its mountoperated means for actuating valves, and mg on the motor;

more particularly to devices of this charac- Figure 8 is a sectional View taken on the tcr having the valve held in normally closed line 33 of Figure 2; and

position and opened automatically under pre- Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the 56 determined operating conditions. A particline l-i of Figure 2. ular illustration of the utility of this appa- As shown in these drawings, 5 represents a i'atus is its use in connection with the operamotor of any suitable character which drives tion of combustion apparatus and more para blower 6hav1ng an outlet pipe 7 leading to a ticularly gas fired furnaces. burner or magazine chamber 8,. these parts In apparatus of this character it has been being all of more or less standard or well found desirable to use blowers for supplying known construction. A gas or fuel supply air instead of depending upon natural draft. pipe 9 is connected to the inlet of a valve cas- Thcse blowers are operated by means of moing 10 by means of a hollow plug or connectorsand the gas is conducted through suittion 11. The valve casing 10 hasan inlet able piping to a magazine chamber where it opening 12 which is provided with a valve is mixed with the air preparatory for combus- Seat 13. The valve disk or valve proper 1a tionf I11 order to prevent the escape of gas is carried on a stem 15 which is slidably when the motor is not running and to prevent mounted in a bearing 16 whichis carried by 20 gas from passing to the burner when there is arms l7 in the plug or connection. 11. The not sufiicient air supply furnished by the valve is preferably provided with a facing or blower, I provide the novel valve and actuat engaging disk 18 of resilient or fibrous maing mechanism forming one of the principal tcrial suitable for making a tight closure features of this invention. against a valve seat.

In accordance with my improved appara- The valve casing is provided with an outresilient means for holding the same in closed of gas or fuel from the valve chamber.

tus, I provide a valve which is normally held let 19 which is connected by a pipe 20 with closed by means of a spring or the like and the burner or mixing chamber 8. The valve provide mechanical means actuated by the casing 10 is secured to the motor 5 by means motor for opening the valve when the motor of a flanged coupling 21; This coupling is 30 has reached a predetermined speed. secured at one end of the motor and is pro As above indicated, the objects of this invided at the other end with a transverse wall vention are to provide an improved valve or closure 22 having a bearing 23 for the with mechanical means for automatically motor shaft 24. This bearing is provided opening the same; to provide a valve having with a stufiing box 25 to prevent the escape 8 5 position and governor actuated means for The motor sha 't is provided with centrifuopening the valve under predetermined congal opening means located within the valve ditions; to provide a gas furnace apparatus body for opening the valve. In the partichaving a blower for furnishing air and a ular arrangement shown, the shaft is provalve for controlling the supply of gas and vided with a substantially cup-shaped anautomatic mechanical means for opening the nular support 26 which is secured thereto in valve when the motor reaches a predeterany suitable manner, as by means of a set mined speed; and to provide such other adscrew 27 Bell crank governor levers 28 are vantages and improvements as will be depivoted at 29 to the disk or support 26, their. scribed more fully hereinafter. outer legs forming the governor weights and In the accompaning drawings illustrating their inwardly projecting legs being provided this invention, with balls or bearings 30' which engage with Figure 1 is a side view of a gas burner apa groove or slot 81 in a head formed on a I paratus including my improved valve; sleeve 32, which sleeve is slidably mounted on Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sees the motor shaft 24. A washer or retaining ring 33 fits over the sleeve 32 and is provided with oppositely disposed projections which are engaged by springs 34 on screws or studs 35 which engage with the cup or support 26. These springs tend to hold the governor in normal position with the weights adjacent to the collar as shown in Figure 2. The governor levers 28 are also preferably provided with projections 36 which are adapted to engage with the collar or support 26 to limit the opening movement of the governor.

The sleeve 32 is provided at its outer end with a ball 37 which engages with a disk or washer 3S and which is adapted to engage with the valve for opening the same. Instead of having the ball engage directly with the valve, I prefer to provide a wearing disk or plate 39 which is secured in a guide 40 on the valve, which guide engages with the inlet opening 12.

When the device is used in connection with a gas fired furnace, the gas in the pipe 9 which is, of course, more or loss under pressure is normally prevented from passing to the burner by the valve which is normally closed. When the motor is started and air is being delivered to the burner, the centrifugal opening device will open the valve as soon as the motor has reached a predetermined speed and will admit gas to the burner. It will thus be seen that the valve is mechanically opened and in the event of any failure of current to the motor, or if the motor stops for any reason, the valve will immediately close, thereby guaranteeing safety of operation in this respect. It will also be noted that the centrifugal governing or opening mechanism which is revolved in the valve chamber will act in the nature of a propeller whereby there is a tendency to suck the gas or fuel in through the intake orifice and force it through the outlet as in a centrifugal fan. This is a particularly beneficial feature in the event of the lowering of the pressure in the gas mains as it tends to provide a constant and sufficient supply of gas to the burner. This centrifugal action also tends to prevent escape of gas through the motor shaft hearing if the bearing is not sufficiently tight inasmuch as there is a tendency to create a suction through the bearing.

Changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts and in the details of construction in order to adapt the device for different purposes or for different conditions; therefore I do not wish to be limited to the exact arrangement or construction herein shown and described, except as specified in the following claims, in which I claim:

1. The combination of a valve body having an inlet and an outlet and provided with a valve seat, a valve for engagement with said seat, a spring tending to hold said valve in closed position, a shaft projecting into the valve body, a bearing for said shaft, a cup mounted on said shaft, lever arms pivotally mounted to said cup and having inwardly extending projections, a sleeve adapted to be reciprocated by said inwardly extending projections, yielding means for holding the sleeve in normal position, a ball carried by said sleeve and adapted to coact with the valve for opening the same, the arrangement being such that when the shaft is rotated at a proper speed the lever arms will swing outwardly and cause the sleeve and coacting parts to open the valve.

2. In an apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a burner, a motor, a fan actuated by the motor, a conduit from the fan to the burner, a valve having a closed body mounted on the motor, an intake pipe for said valve, an outlet pipe from the valve to the burner, means tending to hold the valve in normally closed position, and centrifugally actuated means mounted on the motor shaft within the valve body for opening the valve when the motor reaches a predetermined speed.

3. in a gas combustion apparatus, the combination of a burner, a motor, a fan actuated by the motor, a conduit from the fan to the burner, a valve having a closed body, an inlet from a source of supply to the valve, an outlet passageway from the valve to the burner, means tending to hold the valve in closed position, centrifugally actuated means within the valve body for opening the valve and a connection from the motor to said means for turning the same, the arrangement being such that the valve will be opened when the motor reaches a predetermined speed.

JOHN T. JANETTE. 

